Tales From the Shadow Guardians
by Trinity Dragon
Summary: History is told through legends. Legends are stories that are based in fact. But somehow, the truth always seems to get distorted in the telling and retelling of the world's history. Unless, of course, it is told and retold by an eye witness to the events
1. Introduction to the Shadows

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job that the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

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**Tales From the Shadow Guardians**

Perhaps a little background would be in order.

They call us the Shadow Guardians, because we are Shadows (Digimon without physical form). They also think we are nothing but myth and legend, but as they say, "All myth has its roots in fact." We were created about the same time as the Digital World: twenty-four thousand years ago give or take a few centuries.

We were created specifically to decrease damage by natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and wild fires (my specialty). Each of us has a pure elemental status, one for each for a grand total of ten.

Our leader is the Light Guardian. He decides (second to the Creator) where we go, what takes precedence over what, who goes and what he does once he gets there, and how we train during the off seasons. The Dark Guardian is second to him, deciding these things in his absence.

I, the Flame Guardian, have been blessed with the gift of having multiple counter elements. I work in almost all environments, including submarine conditions. Stemming from that fact, I've seen the majority of the Digital World and its history (much of which I am inclined to share).

(NOTE: Starting from the year 00000, the Creation, whatever year I say, divide that by four and you'll have the time in the Real World. It might present a parallel to our timeline.)

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**A/N:** This is from the same world as the Digital War series. I'd like to present to you a timeline for the Digital World in the form of a series of short stories told from the point of view of the Flame Guardian, BurningGreymon, and maybe a few others as I see the need. I may not update this as often as some other things, but there shouldn't be that many excerpts.

Currently, I plan to do the Creation, a couple of excerpts from the Clan Wars, the overthrow of each Imperial Dynasty, the rise of the great cities, and DrakeAngemon's death. One might think of this as a prologue to the Digital War series.


	2. The Creation

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job that the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

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**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

The Creation

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. What they didn't tell you is that He also created the Digital World. The year is officially 00001. The beginning, that is _our_ creation, is a bit hazy. I can't be too sure of the exact date, so I'll call it Day Five, assuming that it took four days to create the first plane.

The previous four days are as follows:

Day One, there is nothing (nothing means _nothing_). So, following tradition, God created the light. Needless to say, it was good. Like I said, it was good, so He takes the darkness and sets it apart and calls it "night." That was good, too. And that's that.

Day Two, God makes the sky itself. Since the world was a complete desert wasteland, it was probably a bit more difficult to do. Anyway, this was also good. Then he put lights in the sky. He made the sun, a floating pale mass of light, and the moons, three dimmer masses of blue and silver. _That_ was really good. Then there was evening the Second Day.

Day Three, God made water. Like I said, before day three there was no water. So he had to invent something that our world had never seen before. Something fluid, drinkable and useful. He called it water. Where it gathered, he called it an "ocean" or a "sea," and where it wasn't present, he called it "land."

He also made something eerily similar to water. It wasn't drinkable, but it was still incredibly versatile. We call it dentenite today. And guess what, it was all good. In fact, it was probably one of God's better days.

Day Four, this is where He departed from an earlier operation of similar design. Instead of creating land, water and vegetation all on one day, he created the land and water first. Then he created vegetation the next day. So He created trees and bushes and seaweed (that'll come into play later) and all sorts of different stuff.

It was good. Very good indeed. He liked it. Personally, I can't blame him much. The best part was that he made it all with no restrictions. We weren't designed to be perfect creatures. To many failures… But that was earlier by at least a month.

Anyway, on Day Five, we were created. The Shadow Guardians. I remember opening my eyes for the first time. I thought to myself what a novel experience it was. Not knowing what else to do, I picked myself up. Only to fall back flat on my tail again. Speaking of tails, that was the reason I fell. It was one of those moments when you know something in theory, but when you put it into practice you fail miserably.

That happened when I tried flying too, for the record. Also for the record, the Wind Guardian and the Thunder Guardian failed too.

But I tried again, figuring that if I kept at it I would get the hang of standing soon enough. I was right. About the fifth or sixth try, I stood. Then I discovered I wasn't alone in my vain attempts to move about.

I said hello. Yet another novel experience. Voice? New concepts apparently scared me. Not too much to say hello again, but it was certainly enough to stop me from saying anything other than hello.

The said hello too. They conversed and tried to get me to converse as well. So, putting aside my unreasonable fear of talking, I spoke. I remember our first conversation quite clearly.

We talked about the strange thing walking towards us and about how everything was so pretty and natural. We also talked about how the-strange-thing-walking-towards-us made probably made everything seeing as how he was here first.

Little did we know the strange-thing-walking-towards-us was God himself. That changed when he spoke. For something that seemed so small compared to us, He sure had a commanding voice. (I'd like to say now that I was really afraid of Him).

Never again have I heard a voice like that. The only way to describe Him was that he looked pure. His voice was pure, his face was pure, his stance was clear. We were all in awe of His presence.

But he spoke. Perhaps you'd like to know what he said? Well he first told us what exactly we were and what we were made of. He called us Shadow Guardians and told us we were made of Spirit. So there we are, ten spirits and God, standing/sitting/falling in a circle.

Then he told us what we were for. He said our purpose was to protect our world from natural disasters by using our abilities to lower the effects of them. Seems complicated at first, but once you understand the principles behind it it's really quite simple.

Then came the fun part. We got all our elements at that point and learned how to use them properly. I got fire; therefore I am now called the Flame Guardian or BurningGreymon. (I don't know why we have Digimon names). Frankly, I enjoy being a pyro. Aside from giving me fire, he also gave me the ability to use other elements in smaller amounts.

He took us out, one by one, and taught us how to do some really neat tricks. My personal favorites were the elemental combinations. Mix fire and wind in the right proportions and you get a pyro tornado. Mix ice, fire and thunder, and you get flaming hailstones. (Real nice for back burns during the wildfire season).

Out of all of them, though, I liked the combination between light and dark. If you do it just right, you get a glow stone. A glow stone is a really rare commodity in our world. Only really talented Data Users (by really talented, I mean one in fifty billion talent) and three of the Shadow Guardians can make them, myself included.

When you think of a glow stone, think of a mood ring. Those are really crude, chemically engineered and enhanced glow stones. Nothing but really, really, _really_ cheap imitation knock-offs.

All that happened on Day Five, wow.

Day Six came slowly. I had settled down for the night, curled up next to a fire of my own making. When I woke up on Day Six, He was already at work creating stupid animals. That took Him all day.

So, while he was working, the rest of us were deciding who would lead us, per His instructions. The Light Guardian (KendoGarurumon) was elected to lead us. The Dark Guardian (JagerLeomon) was appointed second in command, and I was appointed third. That was something special for me.

We also trained that day. A lot. All day in fact. By the end of it, I was sure I had improved a hundred-fold. I'm sure everyone else improved a hundred-fold too, but I was too tired to notice. But before evening, He showed us what he had done that Day.

He made the beasts of the sea, the land, and the air. They were, so far, the crowning glory of his achievements here. Then came Day Seven.

Now, I know what you're thinking. When He made the Real World, he made it in six days and rested the seventh. But when He made the Real World, he didn't make us or train us. He didn't have to worry about all that.

Day Seven: this is when He created the first Digimon. Absolutely incredible the way he did it. He took electrical charges from lightning already in the Real World and fused that with organic materials. (Digimon are not, to this day, made solely of data). I was again in awe of His ingenuity.

The amazing thing was that he didn't create just one. (By first Digimon, I mean Digimon in the plural form of the word). He made hundreds of them; tiny little balls of flesh and, surprisingly, intelligence. It was absolutely wonderful. These were our charges. The ones we were assigned to protect from the dangers of such a harsh world.

There was just one thing that I was found shocking. They were not designed to be perfect. (Neither were we for that matter). They were still a little naïve, but all in all, they were ok, not that they could see us or hear us. They didn't even know we existed.

The rest of the Shadow Guardians and me were fine with that, though. They didn't need to know. I was happy to be doing my job, the Creator (that's what we started calling God) watching our back.

Anyway, that's the Digital World's creation in a nut shell. My personal account of it at least. I like to think that I was witness to something extremely special when I saw what He did. To leave you with something nice to think about, think about the first time you remember looking up and seeing the stars and moon(s) in your "sky."

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**A/N:** There, the creation in a nut shell. Next on my list, the first ruler of the Digital World and the story of his rise and fall. Real short story unfortunately. Poor, poor C... Don't want to spill the beans. Read & Review. Thanks a lot! 


	3. The First Imperial Dynasty

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job that the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

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**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

The First Imperial Dynasty

In the beginning… Wait? That was last time wasn't it? Where was I? Ah! Imperials. Makes perfect sense. The first ruler of the Digital World, besides the Creator, was in power not to long after that, by my scale at least. 

So, it's approximately a hundred years later. That's year twenty-five for humans. (00107 exactly). In that time, our charges took the first step on the road of life. They had digivolved from Fresh level to In-training. And with that came the first Imperial Dynasty out of six.

I remember the little guy. He wasn't very strong, even at that time. But he was popular and set a good example for the people (little meaty balls of flesh). I did enjoy watching him.

He led a colony of about a thousand of them, all surrounded by thick brush and shrubs so that they didn't know what the outside looked like. Everything was provided for them. And he was good at it too.

It's not a dynasty _per se_. Just one ruler before he was killed. Sad day when it happened. Anyway, he led for about a hundred and fifty years. (the average life span was about a hundred and sixty). He succeeded in uniting what few enemies there were.

He also introduced the concept of giving thanks to God for what they had. That's one tradition that still survives to this day. Calumon was certainly a faithful one. He didn't have much in the way of material goods, but nobody did at that point in time.

To the point, though, he was the first ruler of the Digital World. The first thing he did in his power was to build the first actual city. The city we now know as Anshar was made from the foundations of this city.

The buildings were rudimentary and crude, but they did the job in the mild equatorial regions. Just little stone and clay mounds. They all followed the same design; one small door and two windows in the rear. Sometimes I would sit for hours, just staring at them. Of course this was in the off season.

In the center of the town was a slightly bigger shelter, probably a meeting hall. (The Shadow Guardians and I were too big to fit into the buildings.) Stretching out from there were smaller huts along narrow paths.

Everybody had their job. Even the ones without arms or legs or even a body could find something to do. Small gardens were fashioned on the far end of the colony, while a communal fire pit and dining area was erected at the opposite end.

Once the village was built, they all settled down into a seemingly comfortable routine. This was all very well, but after a few years the people got board of it and wanted something different.

So what does he do? He commissions the people to pave the roads. After all, bouncing around on your stomach all day can be a bit painful with a gravel pathway. The rest of them take to the idea like a fish to water.

It took them a while to build, about six months to do half the village, and within a year they had taken yet another step to improving their world. I can't say I didn't want to help them though. Sometimes they couldn't move the paving stones to the work area with out congregating and pushing with a collected strength of about ten of them.

The roads _were_ built though. They celebrated for about a week after completion. During that week, the fire pit was not allowed to die out. Consequently, it resulted in the first major disaster that this world had seen.

Sparks flew and caught the hedge on fire. It was easy for the Water Guardian and me to put out (a quick rainstorm doused it fairly well), but the damage had already been done. The brush that had kept the outside world out had been breached.

Of course I'd seen it. It wasn't that bad, but to Digimon with hardly any strength it would be nearly impossible to survive without hiding. But, being the leader that he was, Calumon boldly led them into the unknown.

Surprising the lot of us, the In-training's survived. And not only did they survive, they multiplied and spread their village out from the caged area. Life was more difficult for them however. The land was not as fertile and the wildlife was somewhat dangerous for them.

That problem actually solved itself. While fighting off the dangerous beasts of the ground, they were unintentionally training themselves and gaining the strength to digivolve again.

Then one day, it happened. The village was attacked and they were fighting to keep it out of the jaws of some terrible beast when one of them collapsed. At first they couldn't figure out what was happening to him.

Some of his compatriots pulled/pushed him out of harm's way to one of the huts. Of course the village was saved, but the medical mystery was yet to be solved. It lasted for a week. During that week, he was constantly in pain, screaming. When he wasn't screaming he was convulsing and cramping ways that shouldn't have been happening.

Calumon came to him once or twice, sharing meals and trying to comfort him. But he wouldn't have it. Most of the Digimon's screaming was cursing their ruler for taking them out of their digital Garden of Eden.

Finally it ended. Suddenly, during the night his pain stopped. The roof of the domed building caved in and he came out stark raving mad. _Mad_, mad. Insane mad. Murderously angry with Calumon for nothing of his own doing.

So that was the end of the first Imperial Dynasty. A blue-furred Gabumon who ended the prosperity with one thrust of his horn into the cream puff's heart. After that, factions started forming across the village. Within days it was torn apart by at least five different parties, all willing to wage war until it was settled.

Digivolutions ran wild during that time. The village completely split, separating into different colonies of different styled Rookie levels. Beast types in one village, scaly ones in the next, and Digimon who just didn't know where to turn were left to fend for themselves…

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**A/N:** That completes the second event in the Digital World's history. Anyway that'll be the start of the different clans and a several minor feuds, leading up to the next Imperial Dynasty. Read _and_ review like always. 


	4. The Expansion of the Digital World

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job that the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

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**Tales****from****the****Shadow****Guardians**

**The Expansion of the Digital World**

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Folks, do me the favor of visiting Muspelshiem sometime. I find the fires relaxing. But I'm a fire elemental, so you'll have to make your own assessment of the climate.

Five hundred years after the first Imperial Dynasty (00556), the clans were feuding (what else is new?). By this time, most had at least evolved to Rookie level, some to Champion. And they had learned how to procreate like humans, as well as to give birth to _live_ offspring.

Back to the point, the clans were feuding and warring and me and the rest of the Shadow Guardians were getting just a little tired of it. Thankfully, they took care of it by themselves. To solve most of their problems, one of them decided to try to create their own home, uninhabitable to any other clans.

I forget which one it was. I have an idea, maybe, but I think it was the DemiMeramon clan. The fireballs. They created a fire-based add on to the Digital World for their own purposes.

Anyway, the place was uninhabitable to anyone but fire-based Digimon with an _extreme _tolerance for heat. The average daytime high (during the winter months) is about two hundred degrees Fahrenheit. During the summer it gets up to and over three hundred.

The clan had a few problems, though, when they relocated to Muspelshiem. For one, most of the ground there is semi-molten and wouldn't support permanent dwellings. Yet another problem is that they had to have dwellings to protect their non-fire elementals (few though they may be) from the heat.

Aside from them, other clans tried to do the same thing. They too made their planes. Kishar was made exclusively earth elementals. The Koromon created that one. (For future reference, clans will be referred to by their In Training levels by which they're classified).

All together, three planes were created: Muspelshiem, Kishar and Valhalla, in that order. This led to more problems then it solved. Several territorial wars broke out, leaving most people homeless and hurting.

Think of it like this: Imagine a gang war in a large city. Then, take that and multiply it by a thousand. You'll have about the equivalent of the smallest of the skirmishes.

Me and my fellow Guardians watched our charges die from stupidity, not being able to anything at all. The Kisharian wars were by far the worst of them, leaving the population of that plane decimated. Several clans allied themselves together against a team of others.

The main participants were the Koromon and the Tsunomon clans, fighting against each other. That particular rivalry manifests itself even today in the form of skirmishes between gangs and in political battles. Baihumon was well known for his distaste of any sort of Greymon.

A smaller, yet just as powerful clan was also looking for some territory of their own. The Chibimon had a dispute with some ice elementals in Valhalla that escalated into a fairly ruthless and bloody war.

Finally, they settled with a very tense truce. Both sides decided on separate cities on separate continents, which no one from the enemy's clan would enter with expressed permission.

All in all, the expansion was not as much of a success as they say it was. More and more clans formed, the wars got worse and worse. Out of billion Digimon living in the Digital World at that time, these first few wars took it down to 875 million.

But, as with all things, bright spots do appear in the midst of trials. A new ruler came into power. But, again as with all things, it was too good to be true. He and his dynasty turned out to be more of a trial himself.

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**A/N:** Short chapter of the Digital World's history. Next ruler, the start of the Second Imperial Dynasty, I forget his name, is up next on the list. Review this one, enjoy it, and look forward to the next event.

Also, I'm working on a biography of a character that you'll meet later in "Digital War: Campaign Two" named Kai. (Can anyone guess what Kai is short for?) Expect that within the next month.


	5. The Second Imperial Dynasty: Part One

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job then the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

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**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

**The Second Imperial Dynasty: Part One**

Folks, do me a favor and… Hold on. I knew something was off. Muspelshiem was last time. Curse the people who came up with this. Ok, back on track now. Anyway, now that I know where I am I can finally start telling you about it.

Now, it's about five thousand years later. That would be the 05594. In the Real World, that would be just about the time of the Great Flood. A few important things are going on in the Digital World. Of course the clans are feuding (still) and some of the smaller clans went extinct.

Unfortunately, that happens a lot. We lost some very interesting species of Digimon because of these wars. Just a few minor mishaps like that and the entire world goes to pot. At last, though, someone thought to try to end it.

It should be mentioned now that a) the population of the Digital World had reached about thirty billion (they were busy to say the least); and b) a few Digimon had figured out the basic laws of digivolution and had trained themselves to pass Ultimate and into Mega.

But back to the someone who tried to end it. He was good at his job. I don't remember his name or his level. Twenty-four thousand years does that to a guy's memory. I was glad to see him take the job, though.

I could tell from the first time that I saw him that he was going to unify the Digital World. Of course it would only be for a brief period of maybe a few thousand years, but that was enough time for the Digital World to reach a population of forty billion.

But the story behind him is the real interesting part. He was living in a secluded region of Anshar when the war came to his family unit. At that time, he was just a lowly Champion level Digimon. He couldn't defend himself, and had no prior training.

If it hadn't been for the concept of honor in battle, he would have been dead. But it did shake him up and wake him to the still growing problem. Him and his younger brother were the only survivors of the attack. None of them had ever done anything to the clans, but that didn't matter.

The set off, each of them was using an alternate form common among other clans. While the older of them headed to the upper planes, the younger headed to Muspelshiem in hopes of finding some kind of an ally. He never came back.

But the other brother found exactly what he was looking for. He found his answer in the form of a clan that was laying siege to a city in Gaia. He had seen the battle from afar and headed in for a closer look.

I didn't think much of him, except that he was being incredibly stupid for involving himself like he did. It wasn't long before he was in the thick of it. I didn't have a clew what his plans were, just that he was trying to get the leaders together. I'm surprised he even lived long enough to try.

I wasn't able to see the meeting due to problems in other planes. But the aftermath of it was absolutely amazing. The siege was over; the two factions reached a truce. And at that point, I believe he revealed that he was the victim of a siege similar to the one he had ended.

In just the span of a few weeks, three clans had unified to form one super-clan. The armies, though still weary of each other, merged as one and set out under the Digimon's command to involve themselves in other wars. They were actually forming treaties with their enemies.

They started with their own enemies first. Then after they came together, they went to their enemies' enemies, and so on and so forth. Like an ocean tide, clans were coming to a peace and calm that the Digital World had never seen.

All because of one Digimon who recognized the problem with killing each other. In Anshar he was set up as the Emperor. He reigned for six hundred years, and then his son took over for him.

But that six hundred years saw some incredible advancement. The Ansharian cathedral was built. A beautiful complex of stone, tinted dentenite glass, and sculpting work went into it, making it the oldest building today and the most cherished of sacred places. It's rumored that he has a memorial there in the sacred chamber of the old priests.

That's actually another thing that happened. Since most of the Digital World believed in the Creator, he had the idea of starting an organized religion based on His worship. That's why the cathedral was built.

By this time, Anshar was huge and still growing. Kishar and Muspelshiem were coming in second and third respectively. Ea was constructed between Gaia and Anshar during his son's rule.

This guy was just like his father. He was born during the Clan Crusades, as it came to be known, while his father was off in battle. He also knew the horrors of the early Clan Wars, which was why he policed disputes over territory like a mother bear watches her cubs.

He didn't want anything to become of his father's accomplishment except for it to grow and prosper. And it did. The Digital World did incredible things, making the Ean domes as his crowning glory.

Our technology advanced as well, believe it or not. Especially engineering. Ea's power was based on geothermal energy sources. That meant it had to be deep. In turn, new, stronger armor was designed for water breathing creatures, so they could build the city.

Ten years after it's construction, in the year 08046, Ea opened its doors for the first time. Of course water breathers had already settled on ledges and clefts under the sea, and air breathers were living on the three small continents and a few island chains, but all in all, it got a good review.

A million people had moved into the city by the end of the first year. And it wasn't just from one or two clans. Hundreds of them scampered in and found room for themselves. The city's complement was only designed to be for five hundred thousand. Other domes had to be built.

It was actually the people who led to the advancement of submarine technology. They had to find a way to get them down there. Most of them found rides in pods towed by Ultimate level water breathers, but others decided to train for marine digivolutions.

That was the advancement of technology. New subspecies of Digimon emerged, including a MarineImperialdramon. Huge, deep blue, web-toed beasts that could carry hundreds down to the cities that were being built. There were others, but that was by far the most used form for the job.

Among other things, Gaia's capital city was dug out, again utilizing subterranean energy sources. But it also used wind power and solar power. Keeping with tradition, it was named after the plane it was built in, Gaia.

It's still a fairly large city, built at the base of the Impossible Mountain (which is about fifty thousand feet, by human measure, at its summit). It wasn't as widely populated as Ea was, but what they found during the operation was nothing short of a miracle.

The mining colonies that were built after Gaia grew into cities in their own right. The Emperor's son, a Marsmon at his highest, is now hailed as the founder of the great Under Cities. The Under Cities are simply cities that are built under the earth or under water. They include Ea, Gaia, New Atlantis, New Zion, and several other major outlets of trade.

His father was the Unifier, for his efforts of unifying the Digital World into one entity. His dynasty was one of the greatest in history, completing the last of the planes and intertwining a system of transport in later generations. Out of them though, only a few stand out as remarkable.

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**A/N: **That's that. I'm actually splitting this dynasty into two parts. One for the first two, and one for the rest, mostly speaking of the remarkable ones. Read, enjoy, and review. 

That's all I have to say, other than: "Dedicated to INS Dragonclaw to make my score higher then his and because of his constant pestering." Just kidding. Seriously, he's a good friend. Also dedicated to the Head as encouragement for his TSP and SGB.


	6. The Second Imperial Dynasty: Part Two

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job then the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

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**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

**The Second Imperial Dynasty: Part Two**

In the time of the second half of the Second Imperial Dynasty, only five major rulers stand out from the twenty or so generations. The first of them, the sixth descendant of the Unifier, had to face some of the same trials as her early predecessors.

It would have been the year 08758. The clans had started feuding again, over territory and trade routs. A few minor skirmishes in the past hundred years had boiled over into full-blown wars.

Like her ancestors, she held a common form and disguised herself easily. She had the extremely simple form of a Rosemon. That, coupled with her many alternates, made it so she could personally meet with leaders of opposing clans in a discrete manner.

I remember watching her leave Anshar under the cover of night. The main focus of her attention was the growing problem in Kishar, the most troubled spot in the Digital World.

I heard stories from the other Shadow Guardians who saw it, that she used her beauty and charisma to charm them into a peace treaty. The treaty that she had helped form lasted for quite a few years.

Personally, it was a joy to see such a unified world again. She ruled with grace and dignity even the Unifier didn't have. Her greatest accomplishment came in the form of a natural disaster though.

One of the most horrible moments in the history of the Shadow Guardians was the great quake in Gaia. While Gaia Proper wasn't affected, New Zion and Toprak suffered near complete annihilation. The Earth and Wind Guardians tried their hardest to subdue the disaster, but no one could have predicted the magnitude of the quake.

New Zion was almost completely caved in, with nearly a million people buried alive with no hope of escape. The Empress was quick begin reconstruction and ordered all of the military personnel who weren't on leave to Gaia.

Out of the million people that were trapped, almost six hundred thousand were saved. Toprak was a different story though. Completely caved and destroyed with no hope of getting to the survivors in time to do them any good.

What's worse, though, is that since all of the military were in Gaia, no one but myself, the Light, and the Dark Guardians were left to keep the wild fires in Yggdrassil to a minimum.

The city there was almost burnt to the ground because of lack of people. The residents deserve some credit however. All of them, without exception, were out on the front lines defending their cities from the flames.

_But_, the Emperor who had the worst problems was the seventh, her son. Problems, which came again and again to him, were in the form of the Clan Wars. Advances in weaponry had caused a major war down in Muspelshiem, destroying several of the domes that held the city together.

Hundreds of thousands were dead and only the fire elementals survived. Unlike his mother, the seventh Emperor used a different strategy to bring the world to order. Instead of using strength, charisma or charm, he used the laws of economics to his favor and sealed Muspelshiem off completely for a hundred years.

During those hundred years, the fire plane disintegrated into a cesspool of anarchy and immorality. Think of Sodom and Gomorrah, only on a much wider scale. When they were finally allowed to come back from exile, the Muspelshiemians were poor and dirty.

It only served them right, in my opinion. The year they came back was 09116, two hundred fifty years after the Emperor took the thrown. Since then, Muspelshiemians have had a stigma attached to them that they've tried very hard to break, but without any success.

I'm going to jump ahead three generations to the tenth Emperor of this dynasty, and the third most remarkable of them (in chronological order). Emperor ten, the strongest of them, but also the very worst.

He ruled with an iron fist, buying into idolatry and slave trades. During the slave trades, Muspelshiemians were the target, due to their stigma that was now invading the Emperor with a profound irony. It was ironic because he chose them because they had degraded into a society based on the most amoral of things, but he was living it in its entirety.

Of course, he was overthrown by his own son, who took pity on the slaves and who also saw the problems associated with his father's pollicies. I think it is important to say that it took three generations to degrade to this level of idiocy.

But, in the year 09766, Emperor ten was overthrown by his son and executed by his son's personal servant. And nearing the year 10000, the son and his former servant, a female, were given a son.

Now, two thousand years later, the twentieth generation of the Second Imperial Dynasty was in power. Much to the disgrace of earlier emperors, he was all for the segregation of clans. This policy lead to the worst blowout yet in the Clan Wars. During his campaign, he was killed without an heir.

Which makes him the last and the most remarkable of the second dynasty. Without a son, the Digital World had no ruler and no possible way of escape from the wars that plagued them with a fury. No way of escape, that is, until another two thousand years passed.

* * *

**A/N:** Wow. Five kings and queens covered in just two pages worth of material. Next, I'll give the details on the third and fourth dynasties. Only two generations in fifteen hundred years, hardly enough to be called a dynasty. The fourth was even shorter. It was just one emperor who reigned for three hundred years.

Dedicated to Ins Dragonclaw for the sake of Author Wars. Hey, tovereshch!


	7. The Third and Fourth Imperial Dynasties

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job then the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

* * *

**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

**The Third and Fourth Imperial Dynasties**

Well, these two are the shortest eras in the history of the Digital World. They only cover about eighteen hundred years altogether, almost too short to be called an era. The last Emperor died without an heir, and therefore left the door wide open to people whom thought on the lines of the tenth generation.

That is, the next Emperor who called himself Elam was avid about segregation of clans. Only fifteen years after the end of the second dynasty, Elam won the power struggle. It was with him that the Imperial dynasty (the year 12044), the third, forced the Digital World to its lowest point to that date.

Clans, previously thought extinct, were alive and thriving in the Under Cities, biding their time until they had the numbers required to reap vengeance on the larger clans. Most of them formed into super-clans, conquering entire planes to call their own and forcing the victims into slavery.

From one such clan, the Third Imperial Dynasty rose and made Valhalla its capital. Elam was one of the worst of all the dictatorships ever to hold sway over the Digital World. He claimed to be doing the world a favor by enslaving all but his own clan.

I don't know where he got the idea that bonding the most powerful clans in history would help him. He ruled for only about five hundred years, before he had his son, who poisoned him five years later.

In the year 10587, his own son killed him. Elam's son, who also bared that name, in fact ruled even more harshly than his father did. The slave race, the former dynasty's clan included, was hopelessly stuck.

Until a youthful, but unfortunately sterile young Digimon from the Tsunomon clan stepped up to lead a rebellion. As a frisky Garurumon, he was filled with ideas of grandeur. His parents told him to settle down and do his job, but thankfully for the Digital World he wasn't dissuaded.

He, like his family was cut off from evolving higher than the champion level. But the collar that prevented his evolution was only a challenge to him. I spent countless nights watching him work with his paws to open up the device and study it. It was almost a technological marvel to him.

But after months of inspection, he pulled out the main component and tore it to pieces. No one, not even his closest friends knew what he had done. I was certainly impressed with his skills and motivation. But what better motivation could there be than freedom?

After a week without the collar, the news abruptly broke loose. During the evening, he digivolved, right in front of his entire family. I was close by when it happened, and the Earth Guardian was also near by.

The words still ring clearly in my mind because they were the first words of hope for the Digital World in almost four thousand years. "Gavin! What in Creator's name happened!"

It was the most important thing to ever occur in the Digital World in that day. They kept it a secret and started piecing off other collars in the dead of night. Soon his family was free and Gavin instructed them on how to remove the cuffs.

They began to remove the collars from their neighbors and then taught them the same things. Of course they kept them on at all times to keep up appearances. But within five weeks time, the entire slave population in Kishar was free.

The next step for them was to prepare weapons and tactical vantagepoints. Since slaves normally worked on a supervised guard, protecting the city from whatever foe there might be, this was accomplished easily.

Finally came the last step: putting the plans into action. At the age of three hundred, Gavin had engineered a plan to take over the thrown of the Digital World. The war, what looked like the end of the Clan Wars, lasted another fifty years and ended in the destruction of Elam and his entire dynasty.

Every single member of his clan was ruthlessly punished. And in the spirit of vengeance, Gavin made the single most decisive move ever to be seen. Even to this day, no one has out matched the Punisher.

The Punisher sentenced the entire clan to a life in exile in the newest addition to the Digital World, Neflhiem. While the "Dark" plane was being constructed, the prisons were overflowing and a number of hospitals and cargo domes in Muspelshiem were employed to house the detainees.

But the war itself was a costly one. It started in Kishar to oust the governor of that plane. When Elam heard of this, he sent troops from Gaia to quell the uprising. Those troops subsequently got their rear ends handed to them in paper bags.

And with Gaia unguarded, the rebellion from Kishar moved in and freed the slaves in Gaia. The movement swept like a wave through the world. Coupled with Elam's poor tactical maneuvers, within just ten years he was forced into a corner of Muspelshiem where his troops couldn't survive without aid. That finally led to his unconditional surrender and execution.

In the fall of the year 13502, Gavin was crowned as the Emperor. Like so many great leaders, his achievements were almost all before his coronation as Emperor. But he still had a few more things to do before his death.

The rebellion had cost the Digital World most of the cities. For the first of three times, Ea was partially destroyed. Valhalla was demolished and Muspelshiem was not habitable. Yggdrassil had been burnt beyond recognition, much to my shame and protest.

So Emperor Gavin spent most of his three-hundred-year-reign rebuilding the cities. He also founded an aid organization that based their name on us, the shadow guardians.

I believe they did it because they worked in silence. For some reason, it was a covert operations corp. Most law-abiding citizens would have never heard of them. However, terrorists and factions that still warred over territory and disaster agencies all knew them.

ATLAS: Anti-Terrorism Law Application Syndicate. They still function and send relief to disaster-ridden areas, taking a load off of us. They also work security and head the police without notice.

But that wasn't the only thing Gavin had accomplished. Along the borders of the Digital World lies a fog about one hundred and fifty meters thick. It's made up of pure dentenite, and blocks most, if not all explorers from going further.

Most myths say that there is some kind of horrible creature living inside the fog that makes it so no one ever comes back. Gavin disproved that. He sent an exploration corps and then went along with them to discover exactly what was beyond the fog.

Humans have always been afraid of creatures from their own mythology. Centaurs, dragons, fairies, and other such things were always of great concern for the people of the Real World. These creatures were Digimon from the Digital World who could not find their way back to their home.

Beyond that fog, it was discovered, were gates to the Real World. Explorers who went through the fog and didn't return were the seeds of what Digimon commonly referred to as "stray" Digimon.

At first, they were considered loons for claiming to be from another world. But after the Real World was discovered, things began to change. Gavin began funding research of the Real World and even created a collection of Digimon to guard each of the gates.

So, the Celestial Guard was made to be part of ATLAS. The Celestial Guard was in charge of research, border patrol, immigration of stray Digimon, and among other things, keeping the Digital World free of humans.

It was ordered that humans who stumbled through the gates, however rare that may have been, were to be killed on sight without question. One of Gavin's worst decisions was the one to kill off the unfortunate few who came to this world.

Pro-life groups that were all for making contact with humans were formed. Gavin held that it would do them no good to see such a technologically advanced society when they were so primitive.

"After all," he would reason, "they're just getting used to the idea one God." That usually won the people over. But after a time, one of the pro-life groups had the bright idea to start rioting.

The Emperor went to personally oversee the quelling of the riot, not expecting it to be exactly what they wanted. And during that visit to Anshar, he was murdered. His head was decapitated by a radical rioter.

He made all this happen in only three hundred years. And because he was unable to bear children or find a wife, he had no heir. The next two hundred years were spent trying to find any sort of family who could take the thrown, but none were found and it was with a sad heart that the Digital World said good bye to Emperor Gavin, the Liberator and the Rebuilder.

* * *

**A/N:** Ok, while they were short periods of history, a lot happened in them. And I am definitely looking forward to the next piece of history, the Fifth Imperial Dynasty. This happens to be the most important dynasty in history as well as the most important period. I'll start with the first Emperor of that dynasty then move on to an incredible point of history partway through this line. 

By the way, this one is also dedicated to Ins Dragonclaw. I'm moving up in the Author Wars, buddy! Evil Laugh and Music


	8. The Fifth Imperial Dynasty: Part One

**Disclaimer:** I don't own (insert TV shows here). I do, however, own (insert characters here). Please review the story. If you don't, (insert method of torture here). Have a nice day.

* * *

**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

**The Fifth Imperial Dynasty: Part One**

Right now, we're about half (possibly even two thirds) of the way through the world's history. The Clan Wars have raged for the better part of ten thousand years and have reached the ultimate climax. The power gap left by Gavin the Liberator's death also left the Digital World vying for that power.

Digimon would train themselves to reach levels that hadn't ever been seen. The clans would not let even the most pathetic rivalries rest. Me and my fellow guardians were watching in utter horror as they killed themselves and each other over territory. And then entered the Fifth Imperial Dynasty for six thousand years.

And it all started with the prayer of just a few hopeless refugees. Just one small encampment, of maybe a thousand of them, was praying for a leader to bring peace. When it all seemed hopeless, their prayers were answered.

* * *

Thank you, V. 

I'm not sure I was the answer to prayer, but I did my best. I was about a hundred and fifty when I was called. It was the year 13997 that it happened. I was camped outside Kishar proper at a tent meeting.

It wasn't so much a tent meeting as a disposable cathedral, really. Ten thousand had pitched tents near the main complex and I was sitting in the outskirts of the meeting, waiting for my turn to approach the altar.

I was expecting nothing but the opportunity to praise the Creator when my turn came. As the first of a new species of Digimon, I was pretty sure people were staring. But they stared even more when I came back from the room where the altar was.

I went in. Imagine if you will, a small, red and nervous Digimon entering a room that would barely fit him. Little did I know, the Creator was waiting for me and as far as I could tell, He was smiling as well.

I closed the curtains and turned to find Him sitting on the altar with a rapier stuck in the ground in front of him. Now I'm sure you've all heard stories of what He might look like. V probably told you that He wore fencing armor.

V was right.

I would have gone prostrate, except He told me to stand straight. It kind of surprised me when He said that. I would have thought that he would want me to bow. But now that I look back on it, He was preparing me for His next tidbit of information.

I was sincerely afraid when He said I was going to end the Clan Wars once and for all. When I asked Him how I was going to do that, He told me He would guide my steps. I've heard an old saying time and again about stuff like this. As I see it, it applies here more than anything does:

"God does not call the qualified, He qualifies the called."

I certainly wasn't qualified. I wasn't too strong, but I trusted Him. It was all I could do. Most people wouldn't have believed, even if they saw for themselves. But another saying floats around quite a bit, "Trust your instincts."

He never told me exactly what I was supposed to do. All I was told was just to trust Him. He said He would guide my steps. And if I was going to end the Clan Wars, there was only one place to go that I could make even a slight dent in the current trend: Anshar.

However, it was a year before I could even think about going to Anshar. From what I could tell, the Creator wanted me to wait a bit before going, because there were several things keeping me from leaving.

One was the disbelief of my FmU. They weren't at all supportive of my beliefs. Of course, they also didn't want me venturing into enemy territory by myself. Anshar had been controlled mainly by the Tsunomon clan for several decades. Other subordinate clans were there, but they all served as second-class citizens.

Another problem with the Ansharian plane was that, aside from Anshar Proper, there were few cities in the Great Desert. That meant that food would be scarce and that water would be worth more than gold-digichrome alloy. Of course these are normal conditions in Anshar, but at that time the entire plane was facing a severe drought.

Myself being only a Rookie, I would have no protection against marauders or bandits, they argued. Except that there was a hole in that. I was supposed to end the Clan Wars. If that were going to happen, the Creator would have to protect me somehow. But I could see my FmU's point, and I really didn't want to test my theory.

So I waited. And I waited some more. And finally, after months of endless debating, I left without my FmU's blessing. Fortunately for me, it was the same summer that the lakes were discovered in Anshar.

For those of you who don't know, the lakes are what allowed Anshar to become the greatest city of the Digital World. They are subterranean oceans really, allowing for thousands of cities and towns and farms to flourish in the Great Desert. Of course, these lakes weren't endless. The borders end somewhere about halfway through the desert.

But anyway, the lakes were discovered. As it turns out, just as I arrived in Anshar they were all celebrating. Even the minor clans were out on the streets dancing. It was for this reason, I believe, that the Creator had made me stay in Kishar for so long. Protecting me from drought, famine, pestilence and the like.

No one could have foreseen that the end of the drought would cause such a unity in Anshar. A tournament, open for ­_all_ the clans, was held a week after my arrival. Thankfully, the unity had spread a little bit from just resident clans to rivals like my own clan. Otherwise I wouldn't have found work in Anshar to pay for my registration.

By registration, I think it's obvious that I mean registration for the tournament. Some people may be wondering why I joined a tournament that I should have had nothing to do with. However, I was given a sort of vision about that tournament.

Unknown to those who weren't native to Anshar, the clan elder for the Tsunomon had been killed in the drought. I was one of the few exceptions. This tournament, while open to every clan, was specially designed to weed out Digimon from other clans. The purpose was to make the winner the new clan elder, since the deceased had no heir.

As you might have guessed, I won. It was a twelve-week event, ranging in difficulty from Rookie vs. Rookie to Rookie vs. Mega. The first three weeks were simply to throw out the undesirables. Anyone who made it past that was designated as fit to serve as at least a commanding officer in the clan's army.

In that three weeks, I had evolved to my champion level, Heliomon. That was the only thing that kept me from being thrown out, literally. So I made it past the three-week hump. During the next seven weeks, nothing much happened except that I made Ultimate.

To anyone hearing this, it may seem like these evolutions were extremely rapid and dangerous. However, back in my time it was a normal thing to rapidly digivolve. The slowing down did not occur until eight thousand years after these events.

From Rookie to Ultimate in only ten weeks was not only easy and not dangerous, but it was considered to be slow in some parts of the Digital World, Kishar to be precise. But this doesn't really matter much.

Now, the last five weeks were the hardest by far for me. Especially considering that I was not of the same clan and was therefore the underdog. Only the minor clans and passing travelers were rooting for me. But as the Creator told me, "Run the race and don't be discouraged."

So I ran. I ran until my legs could carry me no farther. And even then I continued because the Creator carried me. During that last month of trials, I was nearly killed. For some reason, a group of thugs had wanted me to be out of the running. Obvious is the reason why.

But they would have killed me had it not been for a Good Samaritan that happened to be passing by. She had not seen the attack, but she took me to her home and nursed me back to health. And thank the Creator for a speedy recovery.

One missed duel would not get me kicked, but any more than that would have. That's why a fast recuperation was so vitally important. That Tsunomon native had taken my place in the tournament (legally) and fought for me. From then on, I stayed with her and helped support her.

She cheered me on until the end of the tournament. And during that time, like you might have guessed, we eventually fell in love and married. It was the bond that we shared, and the grace of God, that helped me win my final battle. But I was not made the clan elder for the Tsunomon right off.

They didn't want an outsider to do the job. And I could see from their point of view. After all, I certainly wouldn't want my own clan to have an outsider as Elder. But, another dream from the Creator told me to push on and take what was rightfully mine.

It took weeks of accusations, assassination attempts, tribunals, and lengthy debates to get to where they would even consider awarding me my position. Quite to my surprise, most of the commoners from their clan were giving me their support. I believe that this was the work of my new wife (Creator bless her).

Mainly, it was the chief officers who didn't want me around. But there is always one exception to the rule. A Mega by the name, Syphler, had pledged to see me awarded properly. Because of his influence with other officers, the clan finally excepted me as their leader.

After I was appointed, the next step was rather distinct in its apparentness: start plotting to end the Clan Wars. Even with Syphler as one of my main officers, the process was long and tedious. Peace was something that, even though wanted, was not widely promoted among the commoners.

In retrospect, I believe that this was due to the overpowering influence of the clan officers. None of them wanted any sort of peace with the clans around them. Except for me. That was why I sent diplomatic missions to other territories.

Most of them received us with warm enthusiasm. My own clan was especially surprised to see a peace treaty laid before them. Even more surprised, were they, when they learned that one of their own was leading the enemy.

And that is what started my dynasty. Three years after I was made the Elder of the Tsunomon, all of the clans were united. We were united under a single banner and a single ruler now. Astonishingly, the made me their leader. I pleaded whole-heartedly with the Creator not to do this too me, but He wouldn't budge.

So I became the Emperor of the Digital World and the start of the Fifth Imperial Dynasty. Before my death (some five hundred years later) I had a son, of the same species as me. He performed service to me for quite a long time before my death. And then watching him afterwards, I saw that he did his job well.

But I'll let V tell that story.

* * *

**A/N:** Well, part one of the fifth dynasty is finished. Next, an excerpt from the Creator, which is important why? If you've all kept track of the dates, you'll see that we're getting close to the year 16000 (0001 AD in our world). 

Dedicated, like always, to my dearest friend Ins Dragonclaw. I'm winning the Author Wars! Whoopee!


	9. Special Delivery

**Disclaimer:** I don't own (insert TV shows here). I do, however, own (insert characters here). Please review the story. If you don't, (insert method of torture here). Have a nice day.

* * *

**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

_**Special Delivery**_

Now, I know that I'm supposed to tell you all about the next few generations from the fifth Imperial Dynasty. But, there's a problem with that. None of the next ten generations did much except keep the peace. No major accomplishments.

So, instead of wasting your time with all that nonsense, I've got something better. I wasn't actually there to see it though. No Digimon was there, that's why it's such a surprise that it bears such importance to all of us.

It was the most pivotal event in history, and the beginning of a new era for every sentient being in either world. And with that, I'll hand it over.

* * *

_Thank you, V. And you can quit bowing now. Thank you._

_Now, where was I? Ah yes. My Son's birth. Heh. That caused quite a stir now, did it not? I suppose it would. But that was the idea behind it. All those prophecies were not for just show. I had a purpose for My prophets._

_Although, I must admit, it was painful to watch Him for thirty-three years. Still, it had to be done. As is said countless times, I am willing that _none_ should perish. That is the whole reason I sent My Son._

_Now, I understand that a lot of people do not like the way I planned that. Tough love on that one. And it was more showy than I had originally intended it to be. An entire angel chorus would be enough to wake the dead… or at least rouse them a bit._

_That was not the half of it though. I wanted you to know what was going on. And the one thing that I knew would catch your attention was going to be a star. And not just some twinkle light I put up there for fun either. I mean a huge thing that blocked out that half of the sky._

_You would have had to be blind to not see it. Not many people were though, especially the three wise guys. They were shepherds, of course, but they were not so serious as you were led to believe. The first time I had seen them serious was when they saw the chorus._

_Then, again when they met My Son. Reverent, humbled... It was enough to get me to crack up. Seeing them like that was like watching a fish out of water. But that is not really the important part here, now is it?_

_The real importance is in what this all meant for you. What exactly does it mean for the Digital World? Not quite the same thing as the Real World, but still a form of the same gift. Different plan entirely, but it has the same principles behind it, and almost the same ending._

_I suppose, though, I should tell you about all the ruckus it caused. First of all, the Guardians were all present to see it. But they wanted my account. It hardly differs from their perspective at all, except for one major difference: He is My Son. Imagine having to give up your only child to someone who you knew was going to make him suffer._

_I lamented for a while before it happened, though I never doubted whether I would send Him or not. If I had had any doubts, I would not have sent my Prophets before hand. Besides, He would be raised again in three days. And it was for My creations. Who could possibly want to take a life from them? So I gave you all that gift._

_A lot of people wonder, though, why I turned away during My Son's death. He had taken more than just one world's sin on His shoulders. Both of the worlds were being carried. I could not bear to watch such a painful death, and such a heavy burden._

_And anyway, the ruckus. The local "ruler" wanted My Son dead. The wise guys were almost puppets to that. But I had it all planned. A trip to Egypt would cover it. And a word of advice to the wise guys would keep them alive._

_Some thirty years later, the ruckus began again. The Pharisees (people who were _supposed_ to keep My commandments) were starting to spread rather vicious rumors about My Son. Those rumors included being possessed by the Devil (blasphemy in My opinion). The Pharisees were not that bright. So three years later, I gave them their just-deserts. Heh._

_More modern rumors state that He was seeing someone. Bull hockey. Those fools and their theories… I hate to say it, but I am fairly embarrassed by the fact that only a few are answering those rumors with the Truth._

_At first, the Truth spread like wildfire on Earth. But the Digital World, it did not take root until years after the fact. At least a millennium went by there with no one knowing. Until V, here, leaked it in one of his almost illegal excursions._

_Even now it hasn't taken full effect in either world. In the Human World, it is growing, faintly. I will give them credit for keeping on trying. They are still trying to spread the Truth, but meet opposition at every turn. And in the Digital World, very few people know. So it has not yet started to take proper roots. Although, when the time comes, I am sure that it will stretch to cover the entire Digital World._

_That is really all I have to say about that. I must finish My preparations for the End Times, so I must take My leave. I will leave V to give all of you the conclusion. Good bye, and let the Light shine._

* * *

And there He goes. I'm very happy to know he has it all planned perfectly. But as He said, it is time to conclude this session. So you have it, the nativity given by the Creator Himself. Just remember one thing before we end: He'll take you no matter what. So g'night, God bless, and Godspeed to you.

* * *

**A/N:** Special delivery! I should have waited until Christmas to post this. But no one wants to wait another two months for something. Why make the wait more frustrating? 

As always, dedicated to my brother in Christ, INSDragonclaw. Review all, and enjoy it too. God bless.


	10. The Fifth Imperial Dynasty: Part Two

**Disclaimer:** I don't own (insert TV show here). I do, however, own (insert item here). Please review the story. If you don't, I'll torture you with (insert method of torture here). Have a nice day.

* * *

**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

**The Fifth Imperial Dynasty: Part Two**

It gets easier, as time goes on, I'd say. Time has flown since we started these little sessions, hasn't it? From 00001 all the way up to where we are now. I think that's the year 18448, more than four thousand years after the start of the Fifth Imperial Dynasty. Folks, that dynasty is the most important to ever have lived. It's only a gut feeling, but I just know something major is to come of them.

And anyway, I should give you somewhat of an account of what happened during the earlier years of the dynasty. Like all other dynasties, this one was at first concerned with peacekeeping duties. While the bulk of the clans had accepted the terms of the new Constitution, there were a few that did not wish to be part of the New Digital World.

It made sense to them, then, to fight against it. Gorilla style sieges broke out all over the planes of Gaia, Muspelshiem and Yggdrassil. Military militias were assigned to protect the towns and stop the insurgencies. Our next leader, eight generations down the line, decided to take an "action-reaction" approach to the situation.

He, like his father and his father's father, was a strong believer in the Creator. But he also held a strong belief in a firm government to keep peace, that the citizens were not able to police themselves. And, for that time period, it was a good plan. I believe his name was Kim.

Insurgents, when captured, were tried swiftly for their crimes. If they were found guilty, they were exiled. But there was a small problem with that: the exiles were so quickly growing in numbers, that a new plane had to be found to house them all.

I would like to remind you all that there is a plane called Neflhiem that was never finished. Emperor Gavin, several thousand years ago, had started building and had never finished because he was murdered. Kim decided to proceed in finishing Neflhiem.

He found it to be a vile place; dark, stormy, cold, and full of vicious creatures that would tear the flesh off your bones before you could attack. Just to make sure that Neflhiem deterrent enough, Kim spent a month there in self-exile. He was the first, last and only free man to ever set foot there.

He started sending the exiles there. Some, only a miniscule amount, thought that it was cruel. But they did not complain because they saw the necessity for it. This "action-reaction" policy continued for years and years, until only a few pockets of resistance remained. Those few that were left were simply executed.

I should make it clear, that while I find exile to be an inhumane form of punishment, I readily agree with the policy. Exile is without doubt the worst disciplinary action that can be taken against an offender. Execution allows the offender to come back, reformatted or reprocessed, to be rehabilitated if he has not been already. An exile, on the other hand, is never allowed to return unless he is not exiled to Neflhiem.

The exiles that were not in Neflhiem will usually end up in the Ansharian deserts. He would come into town for supplies, and leave immediately thereafter. They, in theory, could return under a false name, but usually will die of starvation in the desert. Those in Neflhiem are torn to shreds by the beasties.

But enough about such a depressing subject. Kim was actually one of the least popular rulers of this dynasty. But he was still good enough not to incite a revolution. It was trying for him, more so for the people, and I was frankly getting sick of the fighting. No sane person could go on like that for long.

And the Digital World couldn't either. Kim had turned his action-reaction policy into a persecution and witch-hunt. Anyone even suspected of undermining him was subject to excruciating torture of all kinds. When the people had finally had enough, they enlisted the only one that _could_ do anything about it: Kim's own son.

Of the same species, almost exactly, and named after Syphler (his great great great great great granddad's grandfather's top advisor), he hated Kim's action-reaction witch-hunt with a passion. Syphler took the liberty of assassinating him via food poisoning in the year 19037. Afterwards, he took over and dismantled the militias and dissolved the program.

Syphler was the start of a great era in the Digital World's past. A golden age, if you will, where our world flourished and brought forth new and incredible things. The first thing that I would like to mention, aside from the obvious above information, was that he rebuilt ATLAS.

It goes around that he found the original outline for ATLAS in the main archives in Anshar, but it was never confirmed. He made it what it once was, a thriving organization that worked with aid on the surface, but was a police force internally. Also found in the archives, were the plans for the Celestial Guard.

Syphler went straight to work in finding the old stations, long forgotten and decrepit. It was only a matter of time before both organizations were underway again and making life so much easier.

The changes that were brought on within the next five hundred years made the Founder look like a couch potato. It was not that he founded any new planes, or built new cities, or even made a major dent in technology. It was that he started the Digital World's only cultural renaissance.

Since fine arts were never accepted as anything practical or purposeful, it was not of the same sort that one might think of. Of course there were a few arts that were developed, language and music, but they were used mostly to subsidize more athletic endeavors.

Sporting events had started becoming popular at this time as well. The first official Air Racing Tournaments were being held, and the musical aspect of our renaissance was used in creating anthems for racers and cities. Also, gladiatorial combat, while now illegal to be death matches unless outside the city, were major sports venues. The duelists, of which Syphler was one, were extremely famous and were treated as such.

Multiple stadiums were built into the cities, air-racing courses were created for the sport, and the economic structure of the Digital World changed dramatically. With new outlets for trade, and an entirely new industry, venders went to work like never before creating miniatures, fan stuffs and even textiles baring the names of famous racers and duelists.

From here, I'll jump down about two thousand years more, to the year 21432 to the second to last generation of this Dynasty. The Golden Era is about to end in a sudden, unthinkable, and cataclysmic turn of events. It was in the reign of one of only three female rulers during this dynasty that it happened.

She, slightly different from her predecessors, had not had to deal with war. There was always some fighting to be going on, but never was there war for the past several generations. And the world was prosperous, healthy, working, and any other good thing one could think of was happening.

A disease was festering though, in the heart of Anshar. A monster of Hadean origins was beginning to show himself. He was a beast of a creature, a literal demon from my knowledge. And he wanted the world for himself.

What the Digital World next went through, is nothing short of the apocalypse. This demon, which put on a bright face and an odd demeanor, began building support for himself. Over five hundred years, he rallied an unwarranted hatred for the current Empress. He called her methods stagnant and said that they held back progress. And the people bought it.

Peaceful protests began taking place, calling for the Empress to revamp government and begin building up technology again. When she gave in, it was slow to start, because technology had not been seriously advanced since the completion of Neflhiem a thousand years before. The protests became more violent and turned to riots again calling for more reforms.

And then it happened. A total war broke out. Many of the supporters for the Dynasty were ambushed in major bombings in several planes. The Empress, not having dealt with this kind of situation before, called for supporters to form an army. ATLAS was called into commission as the main bulk.

And with such drastic moves on both sides, the demon versus the Empress, the Imperial War began.

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**A/N:** Note! The Imperial War is not the Great War! We will do a segment on the Imperial War and its importance in the history of the Digital World, but not much more than that. Afterwards, the Dark Ages begin where the Digital World disintegrates into almost nothing. And after that, one chapter on the beginning of the Great War and then we'll be finished.

Dedicated to INS Dragonclaw: get back to work soon or I'll hurt you! For the rest of you, read, review, and generally enjoy. You don't need to be threatened with my Aunt Betty again.


	11. The Imperial War

**Disclaimer:** I don't own (insert TV-show here). I do, however, own (insert item here). Please review the story. If you don't, I'll torture you with (insert method of torture here). Have a nice day.

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**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**

**The Imperial War**

This is one of those times that no one really likes to talk about, but yet must be told so one could get the whole picture. When the Empress called in ATLAS to fight, that was beginning of the Imperial War. She would have possibly survived if she had opened negotiations with the supporters of the demon. 

The first battle, I believe, took place in the fields of Valhalla in the spring of the year 21440. The Empress had been stocking up on supplies by the advice of her security chief, while the demon had been making plans to steal them. The battle was nothing short of a bloodbath. Three million were dead in the first week. Worse yet, it was a victory for the demon.

The next time the met, the Empress was much more prepared to fight. It was for Ea this time, one of the best sources for food and for energy in the Digital World. She had built up a navel force of seventeen thousand ships, fortified every island, city, or outpost she knew of.

The demon and his followers didn't have much of a chance to fight back in Ea. And him being far cleverer than the Empress, the demon lured her and her land based units into Musplshiem where he intended to slaughter them. While most of her army perished in the fires of that plane, the rest (all fire elementals and only about 2 of the original force) found they had some unexpected help.

It was from this help that the next war sprung up. So far, it has never been mentioned that there is a Digimon that could survive the equatorial regions of Musplshiem. They are, for lack of a better term, the Salamanders. Millions of them fought against the demon. They recognized him for what he was.

The war continued for six hundred years in minor skirmishes and altercations. Eventually, the fifth Dynasty had to rely on guerrilla warfare. But even that failed in the end. In the year 22159, the last of the fifth Imperial Dynasty was captured and killed. Thus began the Dark Ages.

The demon, who had won his support through promises of advancing technology and social reform, proved those to be false ideals. He was tyrant, the worst our world had ever seen or heard. The first hundred years or so of his reign were spent eradicating suspected pockets of resistance.

Those who served in his army were dealt the worst fate of all. One by one, all of them were brainwashed into giving up their souls and minds and freewill. They were turned into drones, mindless creatures blindly loyal to the demon. The same was done to their families. Their only purpose was to breed and breed and be used as cannon fodder if ever a case arose that they could serve in that capacity.

The economy crashed into a depression, the cities became festering pots of disease and promiscuity. Moral decline was rampant and all worship of the Creator was blotted out. Every cathedral, pew, cross, and holy book was torn down and burned to the ground. The old verse which said, "The gates of Hell shall not prevail against us" was lost into obscurity.

The Gaian and Ean domes were allowed to all but crumble under the earth and sea. Two of the undersea cities did crumble and millions were killed there. Gaia itself was nearly destroyed because of a lack of care for the city. The once beautiful parks that dotted the under cities had turned into refugee camps because there was no work for the people.

All music was lost to the Enemy, all art depicted him as a hero, the tournaments were banned and the only gladiatorial combat allowed was death matches to entertain him. Only technological advancement was still intact, but it was corrupted so that it made weapons of war and new, crueler methods of torture.

The demon, who still trained to become more powerful, continued to do so until at last he could no longer digivolve. He consumed thousands of millions of his drones as meals for himself. No one yet has seen anyone as powerful as him. His attacks were so strong that he could destroy entire cities with one use of his "Demon Star". And he did destroy a city with it.

At the lowest point in the Dark Ages, there was one revolt that almost succeeded. It was five thousand years into his reign when it happened. (I'd like to point out that the demon is still alive today at a physical age of seven thousand years old). A revolt in the Gaian city of Nebo, at the base of Mt. Nebo, the city had become fed up with having no food, water and work. The city revolted, nearly ousting the drones completely. But it was put down anyway, at great cost to the revolutionaries.

All of them, except one, were executed as traitors. It wasn't in the fashion of previous dynasties either. The entire city, he ruled, was guilty. So he blew it to pieces with his attack. One single survivor was kept: a four hundred-year old Digimon who had evolved up to a Machinedramon.

He was kept, I think, because he had been found to have potential in the field of Mind Using and he also had a very good background in bioengineering. The enemy took him and trained him to two levels below his own. Then he turned over the task of creating better drones.

This led to concentration camps where the "traitors" were sent to be experimented on. Millenniumon became the second most feared creature in the Digital World, second only to the Enemy.

The demon took only one other and made something of him. A DesertAirdramon with a passion for mechanics was taken, also I believe, for his potential as a Data User. He was taken from Anshar when the demon's palace was constructed. While the drones did the heavy work, there were people there with minds to control them.

According to what rumors I hear they would take busted machines to the Airdramon, who used to call himself Cole, to be fixed. He did his job well. In fact he did his job so well that that is why the demon took him in and trained him. Ever since, he's been building machines for Millenniumon's experiments.

These Dark Ages continued for quite a long time. It was only a matter of time, however, until someone did succeed in revolting. One thousand years after Millenniumon came on the scene, a young revolutionary named Sieryu started an underground resistance.

He figured that the previous revolution had failed because it came out from hiding too soon. What was needed was a secret organization. If it weren't secret, the police force would stamp them out in a heartbeat. So he bid his time and gathered support. He was a courageous, young mon. And not too soon after he had started, his numbers were exceeding the ten thousand member mark. This was in the year 23505, when the Great War began.

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**A/N:** Ok. I just finished covering the darkest of the Dark Ages in the Digital World. That leaves one chapter to bring us up to now and then it's all finished with TFSG. 

I'd like to take the time to dedicate this chapter to INSDragonclaw: "See! I do know how to update!"


	12. The Great War Begins

**Disclaimer:** If I owned Digimon, I could do a heck of a lot better job that the people that do. You'd better agree with me or else!

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_**Tales from the Shadow Guardians**_

_The Great War Begins_

To recap our last session, we covered the end of the fifth Imperial Dynasty and the Imperial War and the also the Dark Ages up until Sieryu came on the scene. That's quite a bit to cover in only one session, but all in all, there isn't much to tell beyond that. Baring that in mind, this will be our last session together.

So we shall finish out with the beginning of the Great War. When Sieryu realized that he was a slave in the Enemy's world, he was one of the extreme few that decided to try and do something about it. If I am correct, I told you all last time that he built up his underground militia. It is now time to tell you how he did it.

Like the some of the Emperor's before him, it was not a question of who was loyal to the current administration, but a question of who was brave enough to enlist. The first to enlist in his militia was his own best friend, a champion named Clark.

The two started with anonymous propaganda with which they papered Musplshiem. They received only a handful of what they had hoped for at their first organizational meeting. (They met under the guise of a committee to celebrate the fifteen hundred-year anniversary of the Enemy coming into power).

Someone, though, leaked the information on accident to a blind loyalist and the entire cast had to turn and flee from the city. Clark (a fire elemental) and Sieryu, who had elemental forms of his own, fled into the fires of the Musplshiemian wilderness.

From the reports of my fellow Guardians (I was busy keeping the fires from consuming them completely), I learned that the Enemy had assumed Sieryu and Clark both dead and of no further consequence. Poor him, if you ask me. The demon made a fatal mistake.

But anyway, the two finally found their way to Guess Where... You probably wouldn't know, seeing as how I never actually told you the name of the Salamander city. I wouldn't know what to call it so you could understand. It isn't pronounceable in human-speak. But I suppose that it could roughly be translated to "City of Fire."

Anyhoo, that is where they went. And either of them only just barely made it. To my knowledge, the two were half-baked, half starved and entirely dehydrated. Since Salamanders don't drink liquid water, it took quite a while for their systems to adjust to liquid dentenite.

If you'll remember our session on Creation, you'll know that I said that dentenite was not actually drinkable. That only applies to those who can't survive the equatorial regions of Musplshiem. Only water vapor exists there, and that is used to water the farms that supply the food for those people. (They're a race which is entirely vegetarian).

It was months before they were at full power again. I would say nearly a year. When at last Sieryu was well enough to speak, he was brought before one of the city chiefs to give his case. That was explained with some difficulty in the fact that the dialect of the Salamanders is different to the point of translators from normal nonhuman-speak.

It took several hours, quite a few gestures and some unfortunate misunderstandings to get it right. But finally, they were offered help. An army was formed from the city to invade and capture Musplshiem. All of the army had to be trained in cold weather combat (two hundred and fifty degrees is considered too cold to most Salamanders) and all of them had to at least have one form to go into the city with.

They only succeeded in capturing a few of the minor cities of Musplshiem. But with the army Sieryu and Clark had from the City of Fire and the refugees, it was inevitable that they would capture Musplshiem proper within a year. And so it happened. Quite to the Enemy's dismay, the city was captured and one more was added to the top ranks of the Refugee Army.

The newbie was a stray from the Human World, who had come in while being hunted in that world for his fur. How Byako avoided detection was a mystery to anyone who thought about it. But from the old Guard Stations, he made his way to Valhalla and then to Musplshiem proper.

With their army gaining momentum, the news spread across the Digital World with blindingly fast speed. Kishar heard of the capture of Musplshiem and the slaves there were in awe. With a new hope, they also became more defiant. It was there that Drake came into the picture. He was only a slave boy for a puppet governor of Kishar. He assassinated the puppet and took over.

At first the Enemy thought this was a good thing. (Poor misguided fool... I still laugh at him). Drake took his power and seceded from the Enemy's dominion. Then he freed the slaves of that country, reformed their masters into lawful citizens, and formed his own army.

With Kishar and Musplshiem taken, and Valhalla under siege, the Enemy had begun losing his power. Gaia was soon under siege as well, but was fortified and it took a whole half-decade to capture the plane's gate. Another fifty years was required to take Zion and from there, Gaia itself fell just two years before Valhalla.

I know this is probably going to be one of our shortest sessions, but it's near the present right now. In Gaia, the last of the Sovereigns were found. And at that point, the two armies merged and started cooperating from different points. Ea is currently about half way to being taken by the new Sovereigns' Army (as it was being called).

Hold on... I think I may tell you just how Sieryu (Azulongmon), Clark (that would now be Ebonwumon), Byako (Baihumon), Drake and of course Zhuqiaomon came to be called Sovereigns. It wasn't really anything more than a desire for a title. After hundreds of years as slaves, I think it is understandable that they would want something other than the title of "freed slaves."

It wasn't their idea though. The people had not wanted another imperial dynasty. And that made since because all they had known was the Enemy. It was also good because it saved a lot of feuding between the Five. It was because of this that someone suggested the idea of five rulers rather than just one. That same person also decided that he would start calling them "sovereigns" rather than anything else anyone else had thought of. So the Five thought that that was best and took a liking to the new title.

Now, during the process of freeing Ea proper, they all got to the point where they were stretching beyond Mega level. All of them had at least gotten to three stages past, the level we now call Sovereign. Drake was the one exception to that rule. He was not a sovereign level. He was two stages past and no one had a name for that level. And for his strength (and kindness, wisdom, and a regal air about him) he was made the leader of the Sovereigns.

Some people, including the Enemy thought that that air around him was because he was the heir of the Imperial thrown. I can't be quite sure if he was or not. Even something of importance could be lost to time. It would have made all of us Shadow Guardians glad to know that. But we won't know for sure until the End Days.

So now we conclude. As of right now, the Great War is still going on. Yggdrassil is the target of both armies. Both are rich in natural resources that could be crucial for the overall victory. I can't tell who will win, or even where the first battle for Yggdrassil will take place. Only the Creator can tell who will win.

But, it has been my extreme pleasure to tell you this history. I now bid you farewell and good bye. And maybe in the near future, the End Days will come and we'll meet again. Good night.

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**A/****N:** That is the end of it. I would like to thank those who read all of this and even if they didn't review, God bless and thanks for reading. 

One last bit: Dedicated to INSDragonclaw because he told me to get to work.


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